Galway Racecourse earmarked as vaccine centre

The HSE is planning to use Galway Racecourse as its mass vaccination centre to deliver Covid-19 jabs in the West, the Connacht Tribune understands.

It comes as the HSE confirmed yesterday that a total of 4,370 healthcare workers at Galway University Hospitals (UHG and Merlin Park) have received their first vaccine dose, and some 2,984 of them have had their second dose, as the roll-out continues.

Ballybrit was one of a number of Irish racecourses visited and considered as regional mass centres to rollout the vaccine.

A number of locations were considered in the HSE West area which covers a population of 450,000 in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon but it’s understood the Racecourse is preferred. GAA stadia in the three counties, including Salthill’s Pearse Stadium, were also considered.

The HSE has nine Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) across the country and each is responsible for a number of counties, and will have one mass vaccination centre each.

Sources in the HSE said that the mass vaccination centres will be up and running once a steady supply of vaccine arrives in Ireland. They said a number of locations are being looked at and will be approved in the coming weeks.

You will find all of the latest coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now. Or you can download the digital edition by going to www.connachttribune.ie